


Hyacinth

by hapgen



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, but haru forgets to tell him something :(, darn it haru, makoto birthday exchange 2018, makoto gets a surprise birthday party!, pairings other than mh are kind of just? chilling, use your phone like a normal teen! please!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-28 00:28:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16713010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hapgen/pseuds/hapgen
Summary: A chilly breeze stopped Makoto’s stressed actions, making him shudder instead. No matter what he wore, not even his warmest and biggest coat could keep him safe from the November weather. Why was it always this cold around his birthday?





	Hyacinth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starryrosez](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryrosez/gifts).



> Rosie's prompt for the Makoto Birthday Exchange 2018: “Makoharu, it's makoto's birthday and haru and the rest of the gang surprise him”
> 
> Honestly the best prompt that I could've ever gotten, cause I could center it around Mako's surprise party, but also have some juicy emotion in there. *insert my overused eye emoji here*
> 
> Bless your souls, cause this is a small and soft ride! Hope y'all enjoy!

Makoto worriedly looked down both sides of the street, his brows furrowing in concern. He’d been waiting for about ten minutes now for Haru to show up for their daily lunch outing- always at 11, so they could walk to their chosen restaurant together- but the fact that Haru hadn’t shown up yet was worrying. If Haru was running late, he would have called Makoto (probably would have texted him, too, to calm Makoto’s nerves). After digging in one of his parka’s many pockets, Makoto pulled out his phone and checked his notifications. Still nothing!

A chilly breeze stopped Makoto’s stressed actions, making him shudder instead. No matter what he wore, not even his warmest and biggest coat could keep him safe from the November weather. Why was it always this cold around his birthday? Why couldn’t it be a peachy, balmy fall afternoon, when he could just wear a sweater and a jacket? Nope, it had to be cold enough to turn water into ice!

Rubbing his arms with his gloved hands, Makoto glanced down the street again- still no sign of Haru- and sighed quietly. Haru was either stuck somewhere, his own phone dead and no way to contact him, or. . .

Or, Haru forgot about him

Makoto chuckled to himself. Haru would never forget about their little outing, especially since it was Makoto’s birthday, of all days! Maybe the train or bus got sidetracked, and Haru didn’t have a signal. That’s the most likely happenstance, so Makoto would stick with it. Just for the peace of mind.

Nonetheless, Makoto kept checking his phone every five seconds, eventually just scrolling through his instagram feed. Lots of cute cat videos to keep him feeling warm and fuzzy, despite the icy weather and the fact that his boyfriend forgot about his birthday.

Makoto withered, kicking a chunk of ice on the sidewalk with his boot. He couldn’t pretend any longer, Haru really had forgotten about him! This was the first time this has happened since they moved to Tokyo, and of course the first time Haru missed their date was on Makoto’s birthday. How much worse could this day get? He was cold, miserable, and really, a little irritated. Pocketing his phone, Makoto turned on his heel and began to walk back to his place. There was no point in waiting any longer. A half an hour, and Haru didn’t show up. If he did show up, well. . . he’d get a taste of his own medicine!

Why was he reacting so badly?

-

“Haru! The streamers are up, and Sousuke is here with the cake.” Rin yelled, pulling the excess tape off of his hands. Makoto’s apartment was littered with decorations, green and orange standing up perfectly against the beige walls. 

Haru had wanted to bake a cake for Makoto, but considering the fact that he was broke for the third time this month, Haruka had to settle with asking Nagisa to ask Rin to ask Sousuke (so much networking, ugh) to buy a cake at a nearby bakery. Triple chocolate, loads of icing, and ‘Happy Birthday, Makoto!’ right in the center. Sousuke “happily” paid for it, according to Rin.

He brushed off the wrapping paper that was sitting on his lap and stood up, nodding at Rin in thanks. Sousuke’s face was beet red, partially due to the biting wind and the embarrassment of having to call Rin for directions to and from the bakery to Makoto’s apartment. It wasn’t a big deal, but apparently it was to Sousuke. The large white box in his hand, full of precious cargo, was seized by Nagisa, who happily took it over to the table.

“Um. . . Haru, how old is Makoto again?” He asked, looking sheepish. His job (his only job, because Haru was scared to ask him to do anything else- he wanted this to be perfect) was to put the right amount of candles on the cake and light them once Makoto arrived. A simple job, as long as Nagisa made sure to do everything the way he was supposed to. Haru even had Rei make instructions, which were resting next to the cake box on the table. 

Haru hummed, “19.” He brushed off the wrapping paper on his lap and stood up, walking up next to Nagisa. He checked the cake- it looked good enough, he guessed. He could’ve done better. The icing looked a little thin, and there was a weird glisten to the cake. Also, the box was comically too big for the cake. Like it was meant for a large sheet cake instead of a small cake for ten teenage boys.

He watched as Nagisa put nineteen candles on the cake. Some of them were put on crooked, but it was no matter, they’ll be eating it in about fifteen minutes, anyway. Haru pat a pleased Nagisa on the shoulder before turning to look at the rest of the room. It looked alright. The decorations were good- Rin and Rei were in charge of that, and it turned out as well as Haru would’ve expected from a perfectionist duo. Sousuke was the runner, getting any supplies or picking up any orders- which, in hindsight, probably wasn’t the best decision, but oh well. Nagisa, “the candle man,” which was his official title. 

The rest of the guests (a long list of people Haru probably would have either forgotten or not bothered to invite if he wasn’t reminded of the fact that Makoto did have a lot of friends, and that he should invite them all) were supposed to be there within the next five minutes.

“Hey, Haru~!” Kisumi chirped, unwrapping the scarf around his neck and draping it in his arm. Asahi, looking like an icicle, stood next to him. Wrapped head to toe in coats and wool, he looked like a giant sock. All you could see was his eyes, which were narrowed in discomfort. Kisumi chuckled and began to free him from his confines. Almost immediately after that, in came Ikuya and Hiyori, the latter looking a tad bit uncomfortable with the amount of. . . friends in the room. A nudge from Ikuya seemed to calm his nerves, which led to them both greeting the rest of the group.

“Sorry that Natsuya couldn’t make it,” Ikuya said to Haru, shrugging off his coat. Hiyori took it from him and hung it on the coat rack. “There was a competition that he wanted to skip, but his new coach wouldn’t allow it. Something about ‘losing his strength,’ I think.”

Haru let out a small smile, “It’s no problem. He’s busy. I’m glad you could make it.”

"I would never miss the chance to surprise Makoto!” Asahi said, looking ten times more comfortable in just his first layer of clothing. His hat hair, though, left much to be desired. Kisumi ruffled it playfully before placing his hands on his hips and smiling.

“So, when’s the birthday boy supposed to be here?”

Haru looked at the clock on the microwave: 11:45. He blinked in surprise, “Oh. He should be here any minute now.”

Rei came out from the bathroom, the rest of the presents in a basket resting on his hip. “I just finished the rest of the wrapping, Haruka! Anything else you need me to do?” He asked, putting the discarded wrapping paper on the floor into a nearby wastebasket.

Haru shook his head, pursing his lips together. “No, thank you. That’s everything- let’s get ready to surprise him.”

Hurriedly, everyone got into place. Ikuya dragged Hiyori behind the curtains Makoto had hung up by the glass doors, Kisumi got Rin, Sousuke, and Asahi to hide behind the chair and couches, and Haru ushered Nagisa and Rei behind the table. The lights were off, there was no sound, and they waited patiently.

And waited.

And waited.

“Um, Haru,” Rin broke the silence, poking his head out from behind a cheap chair, “you said that Makoto would be here soon, yeah? Does he know that he’s supposed to be here?”

Haru nodded, “Yeah, I texted him about it earlier today.”

Rei tilted his head and adjusted his glasses, beginning to look concerned. “Are you sure that you did? You may want to check, Haruka.”

Haru pulled his phone out, shocked to see the notifications on his phone. 

_Makoto <3 (Sent, 10:55 A.M.)_

_I’m waiting at the station! See you in a bit :)_

_Makoto <3 (Sent, 11:05 A.M.)_

_Are you ok? Is the ice too much for the train?_

_Makoto <3 (Sent, 11:10 A.M.)_

_Haru? Please check your phone!! Lol!_

_Makoto <3 (Sent, 11:25 A.M.)_

_I’m really worried, pls answer asap! Remember that we are meeting outside the trains station for lunch, like we always do_

_Makoto <3 (Sent, 11:40 A.M.)_

_Hope you’re ok, can’t wait outside much longer_

_Makoto <3 (Sent 11:50 A.M.)_

_Going back to my place, come by when you can make it_

Haru grimaced, shoving his phone back in his pocket. He looked at Nagisa and Rei, who had been reading the texts from over his shoulder. They looked at him with deadpan expressions, looking both incredulous and annoyed.

“. . .did he forget to text Makoto?”

“He sure did, Hiyori! Can you believe it?” Nagisa said, wonderment in his tone, “Haru, Makoto is going to be in such a bad mood when he gets here!”

Sousuke was chuckling for a moment, then quieted down once a smack was heard. Kisumi pulled Asahi up from the behind the chair, matching frowns on their faces. Rin didn’t looked too pleased, either.

“Hopefully that will make the surprise all the more of a surprise. . ?” Ikuya suggested, leaning against the wall. Hiyori and a few of the others hummed in agreement.

Haru didn’t say anything as he quickly tapped on his phone’s screen, a sad expression on his face. The blue light on his face highlighted his glassy eyes.

_Haruka (Sent, 12:01 P.M.)_

_Makoto, im so sorry that i forgot to tell you about this earlier. im at your place, waiting inside. sorry for making you worry_

_Makoto <3 (Sent, 12:02 P.M.)_

_I’m glad you’re ok, i’ll be there soon_

“Someone doesn’t sound all too happy,” Nagisa commented, “look at the lowercase- the lack of punctuation- all the signs of an unhappy man. You fucked up!” 

Rei gasped, “Nagisa! No!” He turned to Haru, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, “Haruka, I’m sure that Makoto isn’t that angry. He was probably just. . .”

“Irritated?” Asahi suggested.

Rei shook his head, “Perhaps, but probably more so-”

Kisumi hummed, “Annoyed?”

“No, no, maybe-”

“Angry beyond all belief?”

Ikuya rolled his eyes, “Hiyori, not the time.”

“Ah, yeah, you’re right- I’m sorry.”

Haru massaged his temples with his fingers as everyone began to talk. The noise was almost deafening, their lackluster comforting technique wasn’t doing any good. In fact, it made him feel really uncomfortable. They pointing out that he just forgot to tell his own boyfriend that they weren’t meeting up, which meant that Makoto was waiting out in the cold for almost an entire hour. An. Entire. Hour.

He messed up.

-

With all the ruckus in Makoto’s room, no one seemed to hear the sound of the key in the lock, or the turning of the doorknob, or the surprised gasp coming from the doorway. Makoto stood there, hand over his mouth, barely able to see the forms of his friends and the decorations hung up on the ceiling. He toed off his boots and took off his coat, smiling at the other coats and jackets in the foyer. He walked further into the room, only to see everyone talking animatedly about something important, and Haru- Haru under the table?

“Um, guys?” Makoto began, waving a hand towards everyone.

“But as I was saying- texting isn’t the best way to communicate information. If I had to tell Nagisa about something important, I would tell him in person. Wouldn’t I, Nagisa?” Rei asked, proudly nudging his boyfriend on the side.

Nagisa grinned distractedly, since he was in the middle of an arm wrestling match with Ikuya. “Yeah! One time- ow, ow- one time, Rei came to my house at 2 in the morning to tell me that he wouldn’t be able to go out for breakfast the next day! It was so funny, he was such a mess-”  
Rei sputtered as the others chuckled, “That is not the one I’d thought you’d share, Nagisa. . .” He adjusted his glasses, the flush on his cheeks prominent, even with the dim light.

Knowing that he wasn’t heard the first time, Makoto cleared his throat and waved again, “Hey, guys! What’s up?”

That seemed to get everyone’s attention. Simultaneously, eight pairs of eyes met Makoto’s sheepish expression. They all scrambled to jump up from their spots and grab their discarded confetti on the table, quickly tossing it up in the air. Their uneasy smiles (and Hiyori’s confused one) revealed just how nervous they were.

“Surprise!” A pitiful cheer sounded throughout the room, making Makoto almost shudder from how cringey it was. 

He could feel his face heating up (either from first or second-hand embarrassment, he didn’t know) as he combed a hand through his mussed-up hair. “Thanks for the surprise! I thought that everyone,” he said, glancing towards the table, “had forgotten about my birthday. This is great!”

Rin sighed, letting go of his facade, “Sorry about that, Mako. We were worried that you’d be in a shitty mood for that reason, actually. Glad to see that you’re alright-”

“-and ready to par-tay!” Nagisa said, cooly sliding over to Makoto and placing a party hat on his head. He pulled Makoto down to his height by his sweater, whispering into his ear: “Haru is sulking under the table, so we can rave when you’re done with him. For now, though, I’ll get out the happy juice.”  
Nagisa let Makoto go with a wink before turning to everyone with a huge grin, “Makoto gave us the ok to drink! Let’s pick out some good juice!” Everyone cheered, save Sousuke, Rei, and Hiyori, who knew that they would have to deal with the repercussions later. They all noisily crowded into the kitchenette, leaving Makoto behind with a mopey boyfriend.

“Hey, Haru?” Makoto began, crouching to see under the table. Haru was resting his head on his knees, seeming downcast- more so than usual. Sighing, Makoto shuffled under the table as well, his party hat knocking against the edge of it. He crossed his legs and leaned towards Haru, snugly wrapping his arms around him.

“Haru. . .” He mumbled, lightly kissing the top of his head, “I’m not mad at you.”

He felt Haru bristle under him, a disbelieving grunt coming from him.

Makoto chuckled, “Well, I’m not mad at you anymore. I was more worried about you than anything else, you know.” He shrugged, a forgiving smile appearing, “It was cold out there!”

Haru slowly lifted his head, meeting Makoto’s eyes. They looked ashamed, making him look even more like a kicked puppy. “I’m sorry that I forgot. I don’t have any excuses for that.” He quietly said, the frown on his face deepening.

“I think that you do! Planning all of this, getting everyone together; you did all of this for me!” Makoto tilted Haru’s chin up with his fingers, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. He felt Haru sigh into it, his warm breath thawing Makoto’s still cold face. He leaned back, not surprised to see that Haru looked much more content.

“. . .are you surprised?” Haru asked as he searched Makoto’s face for any signs of lying. A tendency Makoto had when he wanted to make the other person happy was to tell a little white lie, the tell-tale sign being a little twitch in his eyes.

That sign didn’t pop up when Makoto nodded, a bright smile appearing as he fondly stroked Haru’s warm face, “Definitely! I didn’t expect any of this to happen- I’m so glad that so many people were able to make it. Old and new friends, all together here to celebrate my birthday. . . thank you, Haru.” 

Haru hummed happily, leaning into his boyfriend’s touch. “I’m glad. There’s a chocolate cake that we can go ahead and slice, if you’d like.”

Makoto’s eyes widened. “Really? Did you make it?”

“No, but I made sure it was from a decent bakery.” Haru said as he patted Makoto’s hand in apology. “I wanted to make you a cake, but I didn’t have the money to make one. Sousuke bought it.”

“Oh! I’ll have to thank him! Let’s get everyone so we can go ahead and eat- uh, quick question, Haru?” He paused, his expression changing from one of belatedness to worry.

Haru tilted his head, “Hm?”

“Did Nagisa mean. . . alcohol, when he said juice?”

A loud crash and joyous cheers from the kitchenette caused the both of them to spring out from under the table, scrambling to save the rented apartment from the tipsy teenagers.


End file.
